Institute of Illusion Tower

Niveus still had many questions about what Nono had told him, but today was not the time for it. He had a more important thing to do than seeking answers.

He pulled out a trinket with a royal emblem from his dimensional bag, tossed it to the sky, and caught it in his palm.

It was the compensation Niveus received from the Queen, something that would let him enter any magic tower in Aetheris.

"I can finally enter the Tower of Illusion!"

Aetheris was a land of magic. The amount of leyline and mana shrouded this continent was denser than the other three. Thus, the Elves of Aether were more prominent in 'magic' than Slyvaris.

But these days, the differences were not that visible, especially after the Global Alliance's emergence and the three continents united.

As Aetheris was the home to the magical spectacle, the Global Alliance built several towers of the magic institute there.

Among them was the Illusion Tower.

It was located within Chrysantheus' capital, Aurea, along with the green tower, Rejuvenation Tower.

Adhering to their respective names, the Illusion Tower was a magic institute that housed mages who wanted to learn illusion magic. On the other hand, the Rejuvenation Tower was an institute for mages who pursued the path of restoration or healing.

Mages, despite being an Ascendant, learned everything about magic since spells were unavailable as skills within the Beacon. Because of that, even non-mage Ascendants were often studying magic to increase their power.

Being able to cast magic and spells was like a secondary but mandatory choice for all Ascendants. Of course, those born without the ability to sense mana, should get the perk [Magic Sense] and create a mana heart first.

"Halt. An outsider isn't allowed to enter the institute, especially a suspicious... person like you!"

Niveus stared at the young mage, possibly a 'hard-working' disciple who became the mage's 'assistant.' His hair was disheveled and a layer of bag was visible under his eyes.

'Poor guy.'

Shaking his head, Niveus opened his palm and shoved it to the young mage's face.

Surprised, the young mage took a leap backward while his eyes were closed. His hand stretched forward as though trying to block whatever the suspicious person tried to do.

Upon realizing nothing had come into contact with him, he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a beautifully crafted trinket glistening under the sunlight.

The young mage was mesmerized but immediately cut short when he noticed the shape was resembling the royal emblem.

Slowly, he raised his head, meeting the suspicious person's face. He glimpsed two golden orbs gleamed through the sockets. At that angle, Niveus's snow-white hair seemed to transform to a yellow hue.

At that sight, the young mage suddenly straightened his body like a soldier. Soon after, he performed a perfect 90-degree bow.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness, royal heir!"

'Huh?'

A light gasp escaped his mouth.

He didn't expect that. His mouth was agape, trying to clarify but it never happened. Instead, he faked a cough and said, "So, can I enter now?"

"Yes, of course."

The young mage stepped aside, making way for Niveus.

Exhilarated, Niveus couldn't help but hum as he walked into the Illusion Tower Institute.

The young mage never took his eyes off Niveus, who was walking playfully. Suddenly, he felt as if his head was struck by electricity, realizing that something was odd.

'Wait, that's white, not blonde! I don't think any royal heir has white hair! Who was that?!'

Panicked, the young mage ran, trying to catch up to the masked person but stopping after a few steps.

'But the senior said to let anyone with the trinket in,' mused the young mage. 'Ah, whatever. I'm just a disciple, not a security member.'

...

It was extravagant... the institute's courtyard, that was.

For sure, it was not what Niveus expected.

When he first heard of the tower and saw the spires from afar, he thought it would be something like a... tower.

Turned out, it was a large campus with various faculty buildings built on the ground, and the only tall, towering building he had seen before was only a monument.

Mage disciples walked around the campus just like normal students. Some were gathering as they discussed theory, some were practicing their spells, and some were just hanging around with their friends.

Those were the 'harmless' type of group.

As someone who attracted attention by wearing a mask and openly exposing himself inside the institute grounds, Niveus was already expecting the mages to approach him.

They did approach him.

What he wasn't expecting was a big crowd encircling him and questioning his identity and motives.

"I've never seen you before. Who are you, stranger? Are you a new disciple?"

"Oh, no, no, I'm not a disciple. Just a visitor from the castle."

Niveus held the trinket in his hand and showed it to the young mage in front of him. Naturally, the crowd tried to take a closer look, making the encirclement narrower.

The young mage's gaze lowered, taking a moment to examine the purple jewel that had a royal emblem etched deep into its surface. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the movements from the insignia, gradually changing into other shapes like an illusion.

"Wow, it's a real deal!"

"It's a Royal Pass!"

"Look at how the illusion is moving!"

"Release it! Release it! Release it!"

"If that's a Royal Pass, then is that person the Prince?"

"I thought it was a Princess until I heard his voice. I'm sure that's not how a Princess would sound."

"You're a freak."

Their excitement grew, inviting more curious disciples into the crowd.

Niveus noticed how the distance between him and the surrounding mages became closer and closer, leaving him no room to escape, not even to move.

The mages's chant of 'Release the illusion' filled the air on the institute ground, attracting more attention from the mages inside the faculty buildings.

Suddenly, they stopped when a louder voice tore through their chants.

"Silent!"

The mages flinched, feeling their hair stand on end.

"Disperse!"

When the voice spoke again, it felt like the space was shaking.

At the same time, the ground trembled as the mages scattered, their faces when they were running were full of fear.

Chaos ensued within the institute. But when Niveus inspected closely, it seemed more organized as if they were being controlled.

"A peculiar person with snow-white hair, a pair of gleaming golden eyes, and an intricately designed dark-colored mask. Hmm..."

An alluring voice played in the air, sending a jolt to Niveus's brain. But it was not only the voice that stimulated his ears. The soft breath that was heard between each pause, the roughness at the beginning after the pause, and the soft 'hmm' at the end.

"You are Niveus Albus, I presume? I've been notified of your arrival from the Queen."

Turning around, Niveus spotted a shadowy figure approaching him.

The shadowy figure gradually took the shape of a woman.

Emerging from the shadow form, two glowing amethyst orbs were revealed, gazing deeply right into Niveus's soul.

Silky long hair flowing down her shoulders, blown by the wind, fluttered smoothly in the sunlight, each strand seemed to perform an elegant dance that illuminated the shadow, uncovering the purple stage.

Niveus, mesmerized by the figure, instantly shook his head as the woman stood a few paces away.

"Yes. I'm Niveus..."

Niveus met her gaze. But it was actually the translucent floating screen he was looking at.

>>[6th Class]<<

Name: Violet Marione

Race: Fairy

Forte: [Phantasm Evoker]

Boons: [Alteration], [Dweller of Dreamworld]

Perks: [Visual Enhancement], [Beauty]

Redux Skills: [Charm]